Solar's Power Is Limited in Congress

Tax credits have been a huge help to the industry -- and its investors -- but lawmakers seem unlikely to extend them anytime soon.

O sole mio! Despite solar energy's theoretical promise and pending federal curbs on carbon that make solar a more compelling source of electricity, it remains a high-risk investment choice. This has nothing to do with the science, which has been making steady gains in wringing greater efficiencies from solar panels. It has everything to do with solar's political power. To remain viable, the industry needs to jolt Congress into giving it eight more years of tax breaks. Politics makes the outlook cloudy.